by: PowPowPowder - 31st January 2011

Full review

A buddy of mine and I arrived at Silverton on a Saturday after having stayed the night in the town. The resort had gotten 32 inches in 3 days, and zero inches for five days after that. We arrived on the 6th day of no snow, and bluebird is the only way to describe the entire day. The general vibe upon arrival was awesome... super low-key. We met our group, our guide, and headed on up the only lift at the resort. From there, you can hike anywhere between 5 minutes and 1.5 hours to get some amazing terrain: We happened to do 2 long hikes and 3 short ones, totaling in 5 runs for the day. We could have possibly done another, however the other members of our group were a bit slower than us which required more waiting than we had hoped. This would be the only downside to Silverton... and it is a part of the experience worth dealing with (if you have the patience) to get the amazing runs. Despite the lack of recent snow, our guide(s) managed to take us to areas of steep terrain and fresh powder on every run. Every run we took was phenomenal: Open fields of alpine powder, leading to steep narrow chutes which (eventually, with some hiking) get you back somewhere near the lift. A note of caution however: As most people point out, Silverton is a place for very physically fit expert riders. Expect steep hiking on every run, and dont expect to get in loads of runs in a day. This is a place to work your a** off to get some awesome turns. And not only is the hiking advanced, but the skiing is as well. Expect to follow all backcountry protocol on every run, which can be very time consuming: Something that those of us who love the backcountry are used to and love, while those who ski resorts often find to be annoying and unnecessary. Overall: Amazing resort. Amazing snow. Amazing runs. Worth the hard work if you like to work hard. And the scene at the end of the day: awesome.